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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Recipe: Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts

Hello December! I'm so excited that December is finally here, because it means that we're merely 24 days away from Christmas ;) For the whole month of December, I will be sharing tons of recipes which you can try out for your festive celebrations.

Let's start with something sweet... these mini lemon meringue tarts will go down a treat with your loved ones. We made mini ones as they look very presentable and cute and there's no arguing about "why your slice of tart is bigger than mine". Lemon Meringue Tart is slightly different from a Lemon Meringue Pie as it uses lemon curd filling, and contains no cornstarch for thickening.

For the sweet pastry base, we tried out this recipe here - pretty easy to make, but I feel that there is still room for improvement. For the fresh lemon curd, I used my trusted recipe from Delia Smith which is lovely and tart. Finally, the tarts are topped with a beautiful airy layer of meringue which is then torched with a blowtorch to finish it off. Beautiful!

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the flattened butter straight from the fridge into the flour and rub in the mixture with your fingers.

4. Next, beat the eggs and egg yolk together, then add to the mixture together with the sugar. Using a spatula, gently mix until the dough comes together in a ball.

5. Lightly flour a work surface, tip the pastry ball out onto it, and knead until you have a smooth soft dough. Shape the pastry into a square, to make it easier to roll out later.

6. Place the dough the fridge to chill for an hour minimum, preferably overnight. Remove the pastry from the fridge and lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the pastry 2-3mm thick and line the 12 tins, and trim the edges. Place some greaseproof paper over the top and fill with baking beans. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

7. Once chilled, place the pastry tart cases on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. Lift out the paper and beans, brush with beaten egg yolk, and place back in the oven for 8 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack.

For the lemon curd filling:
1. Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a small saucepan, then add the lemon rind and sugar. Give it a quick stir to incorporate ingredients.

2. Add butter and place the saucepan over low heat. Using a spatula, keep stirring until the mixture has thickened, to a custard consistency - approximately 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Pour into a clean bowl and cover with a cling film, placed directly onto the lemon curd to avoid a skin from forming. The lemon curd will thicken more when cooled. Cool for at least two hours before using.

For the meringue topping:

1. Using an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually add the caster sugar and continue whisking until you get stiff peaks.

Note: As we do not cook the meringue in this recipe, it is recommended to use pasteurised eggs. If you have any leftover meringue, you can try this recipe.

To assemble:
1. Fill each shell with lemon curd and then spread meringue over the pie. Using a blowtorch, torch the meringue until it is dark brown in places. If you do not have a blowtorch, you can place under a hot grill for a few minutes (2-3 minutes) until it is slightly browned.